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National Security Law

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Nato Allies On The Brink Of War: The Cause For Implement-Ing A Dispute Resolution Mechanism Within The North Atlantic Treaty, Samantha Solomotis May 2024

Nato Allies On The Brink Of War: The Cause For Implement-Ing A Dispute Resolution Mechanism Within The North Atlantic Treaty, Samantha Solomotis

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

NATO is the largest peacekeeping military alliance in the world and is not yet done growing. Recent events in Ukraine have reinforced the importance of NATO as a defensive alliance. New threats, both internal and external, are emerging. Intra-alliance conflicts over ideological agreements, border disputes, and member contributions put the fate of the organization at risk. To retain its strength as it grows, NATO must develop stronger cohesion between member states to ensure effectiveness and prevent dissolution. This Note uses the recently reignited conflict between Greece and Turkey—NATO members and belligerent neighbors—to demonstrate the pressing need and peacekeeping utility of …


Thai Drug Offenses And Narcotic Charges: Tracing Thailand’S Drug Control And Capital Punishment History, Jonathan Hasson May 2024

Thai Drug Offenses And Narcotic Charges: Tracing Thailand’S Drug Control And Capital Punishment History, Jonathan Hasson

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The Article examines Thailand's political economy of drugs and use of sanctions, including capital punishment, using a historical approach. It traces Thailand's nation building and emergence as a global hub for illicit drugs against the backdrop of European and US interventions since the colonial era. The Article reveals how Western concepts and discourses were appropriated by Thai elites to advance local agendas while suppressing democratic movements. The Article explores how the drug trade became entangled with government corruption, militarization, and extrajudicial state violence which often targeted ethnic minorities. In light of recent cannabis policy changes, the Article considers the historical …


Deep Dive Into Deepfakes—Safeguarding Our Digital Identity, Yi Yan Aug 2023

Deep Dive Into Deepfakes—Safeguarding Our Digital Identity, Yi Yan

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Deepfake technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and with it, the potential to pose a significant threat to the digital community, democratic institutions, and private individuals. With the creation of highly convincing but entirely fabricated audio, video, and images, there is a pressing need for the international community to address the vulnerabilities posed by deepfake technology in the current legal landscape through unambiguous legislation. This Note explores the ethical, legal, and social implications of deepfakes, including issues of privacy, identity theft, and political manipulation. It also reviews existing international legal frameworks, i.e., the Convention on Cybercrime (“Budapest Convention”) and proposes a …


Indefinite Detention At Guantánamo: How The National Defense Authorization Act Results In Indefinite Detention In Violation Of International Human Rights, Molly Turro Aug 2023

Indefinite Detention At Guantánamo: How The National Defense Authorization Act Results In Indefinite Detention In Violation Of International Human Rights, Molly Turro

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The majority of the remaining detainees at Guantánamo Bay have been cleared for transfer to other countries. Provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that prohibit government funds to be used for transfer and reinforce the United States government’s authority to detain enemy combatants until the end of active hostilities have left these detainees waiting in limbo to be transferred elsewhere. The following piece argues that the resulting indefinite detention that these Guantánamo detainees face is both a violation of international human rights and an unnecessary financial burden on the US government. This Note compares the approach taken by the …


An Unreasonable Presumption: The National Security/Foreign Affairs Nexus In Immigration Law, Anthony J. Demattee, Matthew J. Lindsay, Hallie Ludsin Apr 2023

An Unreasonable Presumption: The National Security/Foreign Affairs Nexus In Immigration Law, Anthony J. Demattee, Matthew J. Lindsay, Hallie Ludsin

Brooklyn Law Review

For well over a century, immigration has occupied a constitutionally unique niche within US public law. Noncitizens in immigration proceedings are routinely denied constitutional guarantees, including due process and equal protection, that apply in virtually every other legal setting. Courts justify their extraordinary deference to the government by invoking a presumptive nexus between immigration, on the one hand, and national security and foreign affairs, on the other. Critically, courts cite the national security/foreign affairs nexus regardless of whether the specific regulation or enforcement action under review has any plausible bearing on those interests. This article is the first to demonstrate …


Domestic Terrorism Classification In The United States V. Canada And The United Kingdom, Michelle Hayek Dec 2022

Domestic Terrorism Classification In The United States V. Canada And The United Kingdom, Michelle Hayek

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

For the past two decades, discourse on terrorism (both global and domestic) has been commonplace throughout the international sphere. Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, many nations have followed suit in launching counterterrorism operations to identify and prevent attacks by both radical groups and lone actors. While the common narrative has focused on “why” terrorist actors commit heinous acts and “how” to best prevent future incidents from emerging, it is important to analyze the legal nuances between prosecuting domestic versus international terrorists. With the rise on “homegrown” domestic lone actors, nations have had to reevaluate and adapt counterterrorism statutes …


Dna Dystopia: How The National Security Apparatus Could Map The Entire Genome Of America Without Violating The Fourth Amendment Or The Constitutional Right To Privacy, Elias Rios Iii May 2022

Dna Dystopia: How The National Security Apparatus Could Map The Entire Genome Of America Without Violating The Fourth Amendment Or The Constitutional Right To Privacy, Elias Rios Iii

Brooklyn Law Review

Over the past decade, scientific advances have allowed genetic testing to become accessible to consumers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA testing companies can analyze your DNA sample so you can learn about your family’s origins or whether you are genetically predisposed to a specific disease or disorder. Consumers can then send these analyzed files to third-party databases that aggregate genetic data for specific purposes, like helping law enforcement solve cold cases. Recently, the Department of Defense alerted servicemembers that DTC DNA tests were a national security threat. Simply put, when the national security apparatus finds a threat, it proactively seeks to neutralize …


Autonomous Weapons Systems And The Procedural Accounta- Bility Gap, Afonso Seixas-Nunes Dec 2021

Autonomous Weapons Systems And The Procedural Accounta- Bility Gap, Afonso Seixas-Nunes

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The development and well-established principles of Internationla Humanitarian Law have been progressively establishing limits to the means and methods of warfare. Those principles and rules are necessarily applicable to future autonomous weapon systems (AWS), but questions regarding liability for violations of IHL caused by AWS have been looming the international debate. This article has two parts. The first part aims to identify a technical dimension of AWS that has been neglected by international lawyers: States responsibility for IHL violations caused by errors in AWS’ software. This article argues that “errors” can neither be identified with “malfunctions” nor attributed to human …


Digital Privacy Rights And Cloud Act Agreements, Tim Cochrane Dec 2021

Digital Privacy Rights And Cloud Act Agreements, Tim Cochrane

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) will soon bring into force a new international law enforcement data sharing ‘CLOUD Act agreement’ (US-UK Agreement), the first of its kind under the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act 2018 (CLOUD Act). These agreements enable law enforcement in one state to directly request data from service providers based in the other state. They respond to long-standing concerns with the main mechanism for obtaining overseas data, mutual legal assistance (MLA). The US and UK claim the US-UK Agreement will significantly speed up data access relative to MLA while “respecting privacy and …


Prosecuting The Phone Scammer When Extradition Fails And Concurrent Jurisdiction Exists, Michelle Lepkofker Dec 2021

Prosecuting The Phone Scammer When Extradition Fails And Concurrent Jurisdiction Exists, Michelle Lepkofker

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Advancements in technology allow people to place phone calls half a world away via the internet. This technology has made it easier and cheaper for consumers to communicate, but it has also made it easier for scammers to reach more unsuspecting victims. In 2020, TrueCaller, an app designed to block scam phone calls, successfully blocked, and identified 31.3 billion spam calls in 20 countries. In the same year, Americans alone lost a total of USD $ 29.8 billion to scam calls. This Note argues that phone scams continue to be lucrative, in part, because criminal prosecutions of transnational crimes are …


Functional Statehood In Contemporary International Law, William Thomas Worster Dec 2020

Functional Statehood In Contemporary International Law, William Thomas Worster

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The international community lacks a form of territorial-based, international legal personality distinct from statehood, and yet, non-state, territorial entities of varying degrees of autonomy or independence need to function within the international community in some form. Some of these entities cannot be recognized as states because their creation violates jus cogens norms, though others are not recognized based on an assessment that they may not fully qualify as a state or that there are political reasons to refuse recognition. However, existing states still need to engage with these territorial quasi-states through the only paradigm the international community has—statehood. For example, …


A Taxonomy Of Cryptocurrency Enforcement Actions, Peter J. Henning Jun 2020

A Taxonomy Of Cryptocurrency Enforcement Actions, Peter J. Henning

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

This article looks at how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have pursued cases involving cryptocurrencies. A number of prosecutions have been brought against defendants who misled investors into believing that they were obtaining cryptocurrencies when in fact there were simply false statements and schemes to defraud, such as Ponzi schemes. When a company has attempted to issue a cryptocurrency to investors, the SEC has relied on Section 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933 to require that issuers file a registration statement with the Commission. This is not an easy process …


Saving Small Business From The Big Impact Of Data Breach: A Tiered Federal Approach To Data Protection Law, Nadia Udeshi Jun 2020

Saving Small Business From The Big Impact Of Data Breach: A Tiered Federal Approach To Data Protection Law, Nadia Udeshi

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Small businesses provide a significant positive impact on the American economy. However, the current fragmented federal and state data protection and breach notification legal scheme puts the viability of small businesses at risk. While the probability of data breaches occurring continues to increase, small businesses lack the financial and technological resources to contend with the various state and federal laws that impose different monetary penalties and remedial requirements in the event of such breaches. To preserve the viability of small businesses, Congress should enact a centralized, multi-tiered federal data protection and breach notification framework that preempts state laws, imposes minimum …


A Keystroke Causes A Tornado: Applying Chaos Theory To International Cyber Warfare Law, Daniel Garrie, Masha Simonova Jun 2020

A Keystroke Causes A Tornado: Applying Chaos Theory To International Cyber Warfare Law, Daniel Garrie, Masha Simonova

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Cyber warfare today finds itself on the front page of the news daily. It is increasingly apparent that the cyber domain demands more guidance, with leaders opting for the deployment of cyber capabilities to bypass kinetic warfare norms. Proposed solutions abound, but none adequately address the specific features of cyber warfare that set it apart from traditional kinetic warfare. This Article argues that a new legal framework is necessary to properly address this problem, and such a doctrine should incorporate principles of chaos theory. Chaos theory is a branch of mathematics dealing with complex systems, with the most well-known example …


Electromagnetic Conflict: The Implications Of New Methods Of Warfare And The Need For International Action, Joseph M. Nielsen Jun 2020

Electromagnetic Conflict: The Implications Of New Methods Of Warfare And The Need For International Action, Joseph M. Nielsen

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

During the Summer of 2017, American diplomats stationed in Havana, Cuba began experiencing symptoms associated with traumatic brain injuries after hearing strange noises in the night. These symptoms ranged from mere nausea to memory loss and hearing loss. While there has been no definitive conclusion as to the cause of these symptoms, the world has speculated that American diplomats were subjected to sonic warfare by an unknown enemy whose identity has remained masked by the anonymity of this type of warfare. This Note explores the implications of sonic warfare and what the international community is able to do when battling …


The Need For A Shared Responsibility Regime Between State And Non-State Actors To Prevent Human Rights Violations Caused By Cyber-Surveillance Spyware, Anna W. Chan Jul 2019

The Need For A Shared Responsibility Regime Between State And Non-State Actors To Prevent Human Rights Violations Caused By Cyber-Surveillance Spyware, Anna W. Chan

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Technology has undoubtedly contributed to the field of human rights. Internet connection and a smartphone has enabled activists to call out political leaders, shine light on human atrocities and organize mass protests through social media platforms. This has resulted in many authoritarian governments spending large amounts of their resources to purchase cyber-surveillance spyware systems from multi-national corporations to closely monitor and track their citizens for any signs of dissidence. Such technology has enabled authoritarian regimes to commit human right violations ranging from invasion of privacy, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention, torture and even murder. Despite the uncovering of such questionable transactions …


The Plight Of Georgia: Russian Occupation And The Energy Charter Treaty, Jennessa M. Lever Jul 2019

The Plight Of Georgia: Russian Occupation And The Energy Charter Treaty, Jennessa M. Lever

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

After the Five-Day Russo-Georgian War, Russia usurped Georgian separatist territories, including a stretch of the Baku-Supsa Pipeline which provides gas to Europe. The continued occupation by Russia endangers Georgian sovereignty, natural resources, and economic security and puts Europe’s gas security at risk. The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), through provisional application, provides a unique opportunity to assist Georgia’s battle for territorial integrity. This Note will examine the ECT’s ability to provide a pathway for Georgian economic and energy security by holding Russia accountable for violations of the ECT and removing Russia’s stronghold on the region.


Threads Of Terror, Crime, & Slavery: “He Who Would Pry Behind The Scenes Oft Sees A Counterfeit”, Gabriella Manduca May 2019

Threads Of Terror, Crime, & Slavery: “He Who Would Pry Behind The Scenes Oft Sees A Counterfeit”, Gabriella Manduca

Journal of Law and Policy

Over the past decade, there has been a greater appreciation of how “following the money trail” directly contributes to the fight against terrorism, crime, and corruption around the world. Money serves as the oxygen for any activity, licit or illicit; it is the critical enabler for any organization, from international crime syndicates like the Mexican cartels to terrorist groups like the FARC, ISIS, and Hezbollah. Financial intelligence has helped governments to better understand, detect, disrupt, and counter criminal and terrorist networks and expose political corruption. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, . . . [nations] have strengthened their ability …


The Vast Gulf Between Attempted Mass Shootings And Attempted Material Support, Heidi Gilchrist Jan 2019

The Vast Gulf Between Attempted Mass Shootings And Attempted Material Support, Heidi Gilchrist

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


From Discretion To Law: Rights-Based Concerns And The Evolution Of International Sanctions, Christopher Roberts Dec 2018

From Discretion To Law: Rights-Based Concerns And The Evolution Of International Sanctions, Christopher Roberts

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

This Article considers the manner in which rights-based concerns have increasingly impacted upon the nature of international sanctions regimes. First, this Article considers two better-known instances of this impact—the manner in which general sanctions became more targeted, and the manner in which due process concerns came to receive greater respect in the context of targeting decisions. Following these investigations, this Article turns to explore a third, under-recognized development—the gradual evolution of a sense that sanctions may be required in certain instances. It explores this development by highlighting the growing scope of understandings of responsibility within various bodies of public international …


Chancing The Arm To Save The Face: The Fight For Irish Gaelic Recognition And Ending The Stormont Deadlock, Samantha F. Sigelakis-Minski Dec 2018

Chancing The Arm To Save The Face: The Fight For Irish Gaelic Recognition And Ending The Stormont Deadlock, Samantha F. Sigelakis-Minski

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Since January 2017, the Northern Irish government has been shut down, with both the Executive and Assembly collapsed and the two major political coalitions deadlocked. Since then, civil servants with no major decision-making power have largely run the government. One of the deadlock’s major battlegrounds is whether there should be legislation in Northern Ireland mandating that Gaeilge, or Irish Gaelic, be treated as a language of equal status to that of English. This Note explores this issue and argues that the right to equal language protections is founded in the right to one’s cultural identity, and as such should be …


Analyzing The Potential For Universal Disarmament Of Autonomous Weapons Systems Or How I Learned To Stop Working And Love The Killer Robot, Frank Nicholas Kelly Dec 2018

Analyzing The Potential For Universal Disarmament Of Autonomous Weapons Systems Or How I Learned To Stop Working And Love The Killer Robot, Frank Nicholas Kelly

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) have recently become the subject of debate among scholars, world leaders, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the popular media. While the dangers of autonomous robotics have existed for decades in science fiction, technology has only recently made the implementation of robots capable of military combat a real possibility. With the advent of this technology, many government leaders, politicians, scientists, and business leaders are advancing the argument that just because autonomous weapons can exist does not mean they should. Some countries, however, have demonstrated a strong interest in the continued developing LAWS, making universal disarmament unlikely. This …


No Security Through Obscurity: Changing Circumvention Law To Protect Our Democracy Against Cyberattacks, Andrew Moshirnia Jul 2018

No Security Through Obscurity: Changing Circumvention Law To Protect Our Democracy Against Cyberattacks, Andrew Moshirnia

Brooklyn Law Review

Cybersecurity is increasingly vital in a climate of unprecedented digital assaults against liberal democracy. Russian hackers have launched destabilizing cyberattacks targeting the United States’ energy grid, voting machines, and political campaigns. America's existing inadequate cyber defenses operate according to a simple assumption: hide the computer code that powers critical infrastructure so that America's enemies cannot exploit undiscovered weaknesses. Indeed, the intellectual property regime relies entirely on this belief, protecting those who own the rights in computer code by punishing those who might access and copy that code. This “security through obscurity” approach has failed. Rightsholders, on their own, cannot develop …


A Nation Of Informants: Reining In Post-9/11 Coercion Of Intelligence Informants, Diala Shamas Jul 2018

A Nation Of Informants: Reining In Post-9/11 Coercion Of Intelligence Informants, Diala Shamas

Brooklyn Law Review

This article challenges the adequacy of the existing legal and regulatory framework governing informant recruitment and coercion practices to protect fundamental rights, informed by the Muslim-American experience. It looks at the growing law enforcement practice of recruiting informants among Muslim-American communities for intelligence gathering purposes. Although the coercion of law-abiding individuals to provide information to federal law enforcement agencies for intelligence gathering purposes implicates significant rights, it is left unregulated. Existing, albeit limited, restraints on the government agents’ ability to coerce individuals to provide information either assume a criminal context, or are driven by historical concerns over FBI corruption. As …


Section 230’S Liability Shield In The Age Of Online Terrorist, Jaime M. Freilich Jan 2018

Section 230’S Liability Shield In The Age Of Online Terrorist, Jaime M. Freilich

Brooklyn Law Review

In recent years, “home grown” terrorists—individuals inspired to violence after watching terrorist videos online—have been responsible for devastating attacks in the United States and across Europe. Such terrorist propaganda falls outside the realm of the First Amendment’s protection because it has been proven to indoctrinate attackers, thus inciting imminent lawless action. Seizing on this, victims’ families have brought suits alleging that social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google, provided material support to terrorists in violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The Communications Decency Act (CDA), however, has served as an impenetrable shield against these claims, protecting social media companies …


Is The President A Traitor? A Legal Analysis, Noah Kupferberg Jan 2018

Is The President A Traitor? A Legal Analysis, Noah Kupferberg

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


What About Small Businesses? The Gdpr And Its Consequences For Small U.S.-Based Companies, Craig Mcallister Dec 2017

What About Small Businesses? The Gdpr And Its Consequences For Small U.S.-Based Companies, Craig Mcallister

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Fast-approaching changes to European data privacy law will have consequences around the globe. Historically, despite having dramatically different approaches to data privacy and data protection, the European Union and the United States developed a framework to ensure that the highspeed freeway that is transatlantic data transfer moved uninterrupted. That framework was overturned in the wake of revelations regarding U.S. surveillance practices, and amidst skepticism that the United States did not adequately protect personal data. Further, the European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a sweeping overhaul of the legal data protection landscape that will take effect in May …


Indeterminacy In The Law Of War: The Need For An International Advisory Regime, Ariel Zemach Dec 2017

Indeterminacy In The Law Of War: The Need For An International Advisory Regime, Ariel Zemach

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Indeterminacy in the law of war exacts a severe humanitarian toll, and it is not likely to be reduced by the conclusion of additional treaties. The present article argues that the adverse consequences of this indeterminacy may be mitigated through a U.N. Security Council (SC) action establishing an international advisory regime and using the broad powers of the SC to provide incentives for states to subscribe to this regime voluntarily. States subscribing to the advisory regime (“operating states”) would undertake to follow the interpretation of the law of war laid out by international legal advisors. The advisory regime would represent …


The Scrivener’S Secrets Seen Through The Spyglass: Gchq And The International Right To Journalistic Expression, Matthew B. Hurowitz Dec 2017

The Scrivener’S Secrets Seen Through The Spyglass: Gchq And The International Right To Journalistic Expression, Matthew B. Hurowitz

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

As part of the U.K.’s electronic surveillance program, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), started in 1909 to combat German Spies, now collects metadata from both foreigners and its own citizens. Through the express statutory authority of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act of 2000 (RIPA), and a loophole in section 94 of the Telecommunications Act of 1984, the GCHQ collects metadata, which is all of the information that is extrinsic to the actual contents of a communication. The GCHQ can request an authorization from a public authority—a member of its own staff—to collect traffic data, service use information, or subscriber …


Security Clearance Conundrum: The Need For Reform And Judicial Review, Heidi Gilchrist May 2017

Security Clearance Conundrum: The Need For Reform And Judicial Review, Heidi Gilchrist

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.